Coin receptacle and conveyer



June 3% 119336; F. A. MARCHiONI 2,046,176

COIN RECEPTACLE AND CONVEYER Filed July 14, 1934 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l m it; INVENTOR. oo E Fmq/vK 6. MHECH/O W.

Q a E ATTORNEY.

Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to coin handling devices and in particular to mechanisms of the character employed in stores, restaurants, lunchrooms and cafeterias into which the customer deposits the amount of the purchase so that the necessity of the employee handling money is eliminated.

In machines of this kind, heretofore, the deposit has been made in a receptable having glass sides the coins being temporarily held in view until the attendant operates a lever to drop the coins into a suitable container beneath the counter. Coins that were bent or worn would stick together and the machine would be choked until the accumulated coins were removed, the machine being out of service in the meantime, thus hindering the smooth operation of the employee. To eliminate this fault, I have provided a device in which one of the sight glasses is movable relatively to the other in order that, each time the coins are to be released,- the one glass is spread and allows all the coins whether stuck together or not to drop into the receptacle.

! Another important object of my invention is to provide, in combination with a plurality of coin receiving devices that are operated by the individual employee at his particular counter, a conveyer which receives all the coins after they pass through the devices and deposits them in a receiving and registering unit or in the cashiers cage where the coins may be sorted and used again as change, as in restaurants where nickels are used for the purchase of food automatically.

My invention eliminates the necessity of a large number of salespeople handling cash and 5 does away with the bookkeeping incidental to assigning each salescounter with a given amount of cash.

Changes and variations may be made in the construction shown and described without departing from the principles of the invention or sacrificing its chief advantages; hence such invention is not to be confined to the structures shown in the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a counter in which my improved devices are mounted, a

coin conveyer being employed'in this arrangement to carry the deposited coins to a recording mechanism.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 50 1 and shows the conveyer arrangement.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1 showing the conveyer trough construction.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the end of the conveyer housing as illustrated in Figure 1.

55 Figure 5 is a section taken on the li 5-5 of Figure 4 showing the end sprocket and housing arrangement of the coin conveyer.

Figure 6 is a view in elevation of a coin receptacle looking from the operating side thereof,

the handle being broken to disclose the parts. 5

Figure '7 is a section taken on the line 1-4 of Figure 6 showing how the glasses are mounted in the receptacle casing so that one may be moved away from the other to separate and allow wedged coins to drop into the coin box dis- 10 posed below the receptacle.

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 6 showing the mechanism for operating one of the sight glasses and permitting the coins to fall through the coin device. 15

Referring to the drawings in detail, and in particular to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the numeral 5 indicates a counter as employed in self service lunchrooms, stores and the like and over which purchases are made, the cost of the pur- 20 chases being paid in coins of any denomination which are dropped into the coin receptacles 6 which are mounted along the edge of said counter.

These coin receptacles 6 are provided with windows or sight glass panes 1 between which the 5 coins are disposed until the counter attendant manipulates a handle 8 either directly or through the medium of a linkage 9 to drop the coins into a conveyer housing ID. The coin receptacle 6 is provided with a hollow base portion I I through 30 which the coins drop, the bottom of the base resting on the bracket l2, through which the coin conveyer housing passes and through the medium of which the housing is supported on the counter.

The housing 10 is a channel shaped member in the bottom of which is placed a rectangular tube l3 to provide a passage for the conveyer chain H, the upper reach of which travels along the bottom of an inner channel member I 5 secured in any suitable manner to the top of the tube l3. The brackets l2 form a top closure for the housing at the points where the coin devices are disposed, and between the devices, the housing is closed by a cover strip l6 which may rest on the upper edges of the inner channel member l5 and be secured thereto as desired.

The sprocket or conveyer chain [4 is driven over usual sprocket wheels ll, only the one at the dis- 5O charge end of the housing being shown, where a discharge elbow l8 closes the end of the hous ing l0 and also serves as a journal for the sprocket shaft l9, whose end beyond the elbow l8 carries the gear 20 operated by the pinion 2! which sired may be employed.

is driven in any suitable manner from the motor 22.

The motor operating continuously causes the chain to convey the coins that fall through the coin device to the end of the housing where they fall through theelbow and into a receiving box 23 to pass through a suitable registering unit whose construction is not a part of my invention; The unit may be simply a coin sorting device if 1 desired a and may be-' 'disposed "inside:a cashier s acage r.if desired so that .the coins .re-' turned may be used by the cashier in making change for the customers. My invention is para; ticularly directed to the combination of conveyer] with coin receptacles and any "arrangement-d6 In order to facilitate the operation of the coin receptacle handle 8 in wide countersyI may-se=-' cure a link 24 thereto whose lower end: may:be= pivoted as at 25 to a horizontal yoke member 25 which extends the* width or the counter and I whose inner end ispivotedasat-'21 to one of the counter upri'ghts' fili'." 'Theouter end- 0f the yoke has-a hand-le 29 th'ereo'nf threugh whichthe-coins in the-coin deviceare droppedrintothe conveyer or into a =con i box-'as*desire=:l. The ends of the housing membersor channeis-are secured in the elbow-I1 8 in"any"'suitable manner. r

e m'ost important feature of my invention as'dis'clos'edirrFigures=6Q'7 andB is theuse of a' coin receptacle employinga novel= means of preventing the coins from jamming or blocking up'th'edvice and e'device 6 referredto" as a coinrece acl' comprises tlie casing 30 the upper end of W hjisopen' andfth'e opposite side's ofwhich areprovided with sight' 'openings 3 I *The upperyend of thecasing 30-'-is closed-by the slot piecei 32 in=tl ie "slot-'33 of which -is*deposited the 7 coins usedin paying for purchases-and of any denomination'd'siredl The-slot piece 32"has?fi-Xed thereto in' a-ny suitable manner; the depending channels 34,--the edges-offwhichjare serrated as at 35 m holdfthe glass-pane 36 'frictionally:in place. These channels also carry dowel T pins-'31 which fit into sockets" 38 0f similar channels 39 to supporttheclianiiels 39': the same being yieldab'ly sustained' in contact-with the channe1's' 3'4 -so thatthe glasspane in channelsflland'asimilar glass maintained infproperspa'ced relation to provide a receptacle for deposited: coins -4l so that they may be-seenthrough'the grit-openings in' the casing by the customer an- "'e counter attend-- ant. -'-?Beneath the sight op ningsin the'casing,

the'latter ischambered to receive a coin dropper 42; the end fiang'es lfi of -which carry studs 44 which are'fiourn'alle' 'in the cups 4 5' cast integral witli the "closure d Mix-secured in any suitable v manneif'infthe'casing 31]} V Tlie' space"5'5' separating theportions .rpiec'e jl l" thereof closes the space between the panes of glass at the bottom thereof to support thecoins in View until the handle depressedl Ahylength of h'a-ndle 5 4 may'be' secured" to the outer end? of' 'the stud" 4B1 these channels are extended as at l into a notch 58 cut in the flanges 43 of the coin dropper 42.

Upon 'adownward movement of the handle 54, the 15 *coirtdroppergswings the lower end of the chan-,

In orde to support"thechanneldfl; in' the casing, use is made of extension-"support pieces 62 V whichare "cast --integral Fwitli the closure disks 46A and engagein suitable cut-outs 63 in the bottom end-sof the channelsil."

It" is evident therefore that I have provided a coin receptacle which isjam proof and: which r operatesautomaticail'ywhen dropping coins to separate the glass*panes so*that coins sticking t'l'i'erebetween are dropped and the machine is V notj out of service due to coins becoming stuck in the coinpassage-between the'panes.

It is also evidntithat I have-provided in con- 7 nection with a nurnber' of coin'receptacles; aconveyer whichelir ninates the necessity ofeollectin'gjthe coins from 1 each individual 1 coin device and also makes posslbleto" use the returned coins in -rnakir'ig change from the cashiers cage.

My invention is' not to be restricted to the precise detailsiof construction shown since various changes and modificationsmaymade there- I 50 in without'departingrfrcm the scope of the in-@ vention or rsa' rificing theadvantages derived from its'use. 7'

What I claimlisq v p v 1.A coinhandlingdevice: for store counters 15 or the like: including a casing; having opposite sight openings therein, spaced panes of glass in the casing, the: space betweentthetpanesmonstituting a; coin receptacle.=where; the. coins are supportedein display position, a coin dropper: forsupporting. the' eoins-wheniin; one position and for dropping: them through the device into a receptacle when inanother position, :means for operatingsaiddroppenandzmeans extending from cnepfthepanes-{into the dropper. and arranged to be moved bm'manipulation thereof to spread the, panes aparttoallow wedged coins to. drop through the device. 2.-A- coin handling: deviceri-ncluding; acasing havingsightopenings therein; channel frames; glass panes removably; held'in said frames and spaced apart to: provide 'a; coin chamber-,1 a. coin droppervforisupportingctlie coins between: the panes and'dropping them intoaiieceptacle; means for operating the'dropper; and said dropper being V sions on one of the walls extending into said notches, whereby when the dropper is operated, the walls are spaced further apart to free jammed coins, and a spring for yieldably resisting the movement of one of said walls.

FRANK A. MARCHIONI. 

